KAIZEN?

Knowledge + Application + Internship + Zen = KAIZEN

Kaizen also roughly means improvement. Most artists want continual improvement, but it’s best to not let that become a trap.

For a perfectionist, it is a game that cannot be won at some point. That is, if only one aspect of the twenty is the focus, exclusive to the other nineteen. Faulty technique impedes the art, while great technique allows art to flow.

Knowledge

The “what” precedes the “how”. Knowing what to do, how to do it, when, and why must be clear in your mind, in order to effectively train a singer, while maintaining the singer’s freedoms.

A singer must be free to be himself or herself. Each singer is unique. Great vocal coaches don’t change singers’ voices, to sound like other people. They teach methods and techniques which result in a singer being able to express the art without fear, doubt, or confusion.

The knowledge possessed and imparted to a singer by a great vocal coach is on a par with the vast knowledge that architects must have, to practice their profession.

Precise knowledge of the voice, of music theory, and musical style are vital for a singer to reach a state of full potential that continues to grow. One Voice Method contains the basic knowledge necessary to have for vocal coaches and for singers who become their own coach. It is definitely possible, with dropping self-judgment, and strengthening objectivity.

Application

With knowledge applied as needed to enable a singer to continually improve, the “plateau effect” can be shortened or eliminated altogether. When a singer gets stuck, there is a reason and it is discoverable and can be ameliorated quickly, if and only if the vocal coach possesses the knowledge to do so.

Internship

Most people wouldn’t venture crossing the Amazon Jungle without a guide. The same is true for climbing Mount Everest. A guide is a must for success.

With training singers, the dangers are not the same, but to the singer, the journey is of the same magnitude of importance, if the singer is a true artist.

Too many vocal coaches had no internships. They studied, sometimes for years, and then were let loose to try to coach singers. Doctors have internships. So do engineers and architects. There are very good reasons for internships. Pedagogues who train and check the work of their protegees help to prepare them for success. Without an internship, nothing can be guaranteed.

In industry, design, and construction, there is normally quality control and inspections are done along the way. Without it, there can be disaster, such as the MGM Grand fire in Las Vegas, which took the lives of over eighty people because fire dampers which are supposed to be in ductwork between floors were omitted, ostensibly because inspectors were paid off to look the other way.

I don’t look the other way or let things slide. Mistakes and omissions don’t necessarily cost lives in the music business, but they can and do cost career success.

I take you through a procedure to guide a singer through 20 steps to success from beginning to end. What you do on your first meeting with a singer, how to discover what the goals are, and how to help the singer with the tools, exercises, and guidance to make the goal attainable. If you are your own vocal coach, the exact same procedure applies.